1972 Chevrolet El Camino

Description

When I was a kid, I called Chevy's cool El Camino the "truck-car," because even my 4-year-old eyes knew it was way cool. This 1972 El Camino is like a Chevelle with a bed, and it's great news for muscle car fans because it puts you behind the wheel of one of GM's great machines with a trunk that'll carry anything you can buy at Home Depot.

With so many of these being work trucks when they were new, finding a clean, straight, unabused example like this is no easy task. It wears recently-applied bright red paint that looks great, especially when combined with black SS stripes on a cowl-induction hood. The work was finished not too long ago, and you definitely won't need to make excuses at the next cruise night where everyone will be digging the fantastic look. Those massive rear quarters are not so easy to get lined up and flat, so you know someone really cared about this Elky while it was being resurrected. SS badges suggest more performance than utility is under this truck's skin and the blacked-out grille and no-nonsense bodywork make a great point about no-frills performance. Note that the bed has nicely been finished and carries a drop-in bedliner that fits well and means you can carry just about anything without worrying about banging it up.

The bench seat makes the El Camino practical enough to carry three passengers, just like any truck, but it's beautifully dressed in a fresh black seat cover. Nicely detailed, the dash is nicely presented with original gauges, and a familiar GM steering wheel adds a sporty feel that makes you forget you're driving a truck. This one comes complete with an under-dash A/C system, but that's about it for creature comforts, because this is even a radio delete car! The door panels are standard black, but I like the vent windows, which do a fine job of funneling air into the passenger compartment and they're sorely missed on today's cars. In addition, the headliner, carpet, dash pad, and window weather stripping are all new, so it feels like a new car inside with a notable lack of squeaks and rattles.

The engine is a rebuilt 350 taken from a later model, and fitted with standard hot-rod parts like a 4-barrel carburetor and a set of block-hugging exhaust headers. Dress-up is limited to a chrome open-element air cleaner, but it runs well and pulls the relatively lightweight Elky around with a great V8 burble. Chevy Orange paint makes it easy to identify and there are plenty of signs of proper maintenance, not the least of which is how well it runs. A TH350 3-speed automatic shuttles horsepower back to a 10-bolt rear with 3.08 gears inside, making this powertrain about as reliable as they come. The chassis is solid, the floors are clean, and the glasspack-style exhaust system sounds great. It's cool to see the Chevelle's coil springs under a pickup truck, but they endow the El Camino with wonderful road manners and a pleasant ride, and all the upgrades available for Chevelles are virtual bolt-ons. Finally, a set of classic Rally wheels wears a set of staggered 215/65/15 front and 255/60/15 performance radials.

Old or young, El Caminos are just plain cool. Performance, style, comfort and plenty of practicality make them as popular today as when they were new. Call today!